Remote by Donn Cortez

door, staying low, hoping his evaluation of Remote was accurate.  Personal confrontation wasn’t something the man would seek out; he liked to manipulate people from afar, to keep as many barriers as possible between himself and any consequences.  Jack thought he might study his new acquisition for a moment or two from a hidden camera before deciding to show up in person; the door had no doubt been opened electronically from another location, which meant Remote was probably on his way right now.
    Jack found himself in another foyer, lit by a skylight from above.  A staircase to the left led to the second floor, and two different hallways branched off to the right and straight ahead.  The floor was carpeted in a thick white shag, the walls painted a flat eggshell white.  Some sort of display case with a miniature castle in it was set into the wall at the base of the stairwell.
    Behind him, the foyer door closed and relocked itself with a loud click.    Jack froze, listening intently, trying to ignore the burns throbbing on his arms and legs.  He heard another door shut, not softly.  The thunk that followed was clearly a bolt being thrown.  Both noises came from upstairs.
    Jack sprinted down the hallway directly ahead of him, moving more on blind instinct than any plan.  Remote had just locked himself in.  This was his home turf, and it would be well-defended. . .but at least Jack was inside the castle walls.
    All he had to do now was survive.
     
    ***
     “Relax,” Nikki said.  “I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but we’re not going to kill you.  Co-operate and you’ll be free in a few days.”
    Dennison Parkins stared at her.  He was cuffed to a pipe in the basement, but he was no longer gagged and had one hand free.  Nikki stood a few feet away, her features hidden by a veil draped over a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of over-sized sunglasses.  She knew Parkins had seen her face when he first picked her up, but she’d been wearing so much make-up she doubted he could pick her out of a line-up now.  Besides, keeping her features hidden reassured Parkins that he had a chance of coming out of this alive.
    “You keep saying that,” he said.  “I’m still a little unclear on what ‘this’ is .  I mean, if it’s a kidnapping, you picked the wrong guy.”
    She crossed her arms.  “Denny, Denny, Denny.  That is not a good tactic for someone in your situation.  You want to convince me that your family will cough up megabucks for your release, okay?  Otherwise, I may start seeing you as a liability to get rid of rather than an investment I should protect.”
    Parkins swallowed.  “Okay, good point.  My bad.”
    “No, your bad was—“ She stopped.  What exactly was Parkins’ crime, other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time?  She couldn’t tell him the truth about his situation—in fact, she shouldn’t be talking to him at all.  “Fuck it.  We just need you out of the way for a few days, that’s all.  After that, we’ll let you go.”
    “You’re—you’re not afraid I’ll go to the police?”
    She shook her head.  “Jesus, Denny, don’t you have any survival instincts at all?  That’s the last thing you should be suggesting--to me, anyway.”
    He looked miserable.  “I know, but—the whole conversation’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? I swear I won’t go to the cops, and you say someone in my position would of course say that.   You think I’m lying to you, and it pisses you off.”
    He gave her a tentative smile.  “Hey, the last thing I want to do right now is piss you off, okay?”
    “Believe me, Denny—you piss me off, you’ll know about it.  And the conversation you think we’re gonna have?  Not quite as obvious as you might think.  For instance, you aren’t going to go to the cops, and I’ll tell you why.  Because if you do, what will become obvious is what you were doing when we grabbed you.”
    “Ah.”
    “Yeah.